African American athletes

Recent Articles

After a long winter, our “Only One” reporter finally got out and spent last weekend as the only Black media member in the Jane Sage Cowles Stadium press box at the NCAA Minneapolis Regional softball tournament at the University of Minnesota. Again I seemingly wore my invisible suit as the passing-out-stats people passed me by on a couple of occasions. Before last weekend’s four-team double elimination tournament, I promised Gophers’ Tyler Walker and Madie Eckstrom that I would attend. The two previously were featured a couple of weeks ago in our Gopher 100 series.

There are approximately 100 African American and other student-athletes of color this school year at the University of Minnesota. In an occasional series throughout the 2013-14 school and sports year, the MSR will highlight these players.

This week: Gopher football players Ra’Shede Hageman and Brock Vereen

The waiting game hopefully is nearing its end for former Gophers Ra’Shede Hageman and Brock Vereen. These two are the only Minnesota players being considered in this year’s NFL Draft, which begins Thursday. If projections are accurate, Hageman will be the first Minneapolis City Conference player to be selected in the opening round and Vereen, the Valencia, Calif. Continue Reading →

Like referees who bring attention to themselves, the U.S. big-business press, along with the color commentators with their unbalanced, intrusive and unfavorable coverage of African and AfricanAmerican athletes during the London Olympics,brought shame upon themselves and their craft. Truth is, they can’t help themselves; many are the beneficiaries of an uneven playing field themselves. Many of them went to the best schools and were afforded the best opportunities, yet they allow themselves to believe the worst propaganda and narratives about people of color. The proof of this was in the coverage. These Olympics were also a stage for U.S. propaganda. When Uganda was mentioned, the press chose to talk about Idi Amin rather than the colonial rampage that left the country ripped off, unstable, and open to despots. When the Grenadian athlete Kirani James was mentioned, they repeated the lie that the U.S. had liberated Grenada when in fact they worked with criminals to overthrow the elected government of Maurice Bishop. Continue Reading →

Year after year, since its debut in 1981, Disney on Ice has entertained families around the world and employed more than 400 professional skaters that bring life to Disney characters on ice. The Disney on Ice concept was created by Kenneth Feld. Feld’s company, Feld Entertainment, is the licensee of the Walt Disney Company, with exclusive worldwide rights to produce live Disney-themed shows. Disney on Ice has performed in more than 70 countries and six continents. On Thursday, December 8, 2011 through Sunday, December 11, 2011, Disney on Ice will make its way to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Continue Reading →